The present invention relates to a data supply controlling device, a data supplying method, a storage medium storing a data supplying program, and a data supplying system, in which a system is used which searches for information (of books, for instance) using a data supplying device and provides search results to the user (user terminal) via the data supply controlling device in such a manner to provide information suitable for user""s preference and interest by referring to user data and also to achieve improvement in both user privacy protection and communications efficiency.
Recently, a system that enables a user to search for information (of books, for instance) on a network and place a necessary order (of books) is in practical use. In this type of system, first of all, the user sets various search conditions such as title, author""s name, publisher, category, published year etc., by using a user terminal (personal computer, for instance). Then after a data search device searches for information on the basis of the search conditions, the user selects books he/she wants from the candidates searched for, by using the user terminal. And referring to the reviews etc., the user places an order. Distribution of books in electronic data form is growing today, since enormous number of titles has been published.
So, systems disclosed by Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 11-259512/1999 (Tokukaihei 11-259512; published on Sep. 24, 1999) and Japanese Patent Publication No. 2976219/1999 (Tokkyo 2976219; published on Nov. 10, 1999) are examples of the system to provide information via the network as above.
In the system disclosed by Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 11-259512, by a data search device, information is searched for while a query is concealed, and then unnecessary search results are deleted to make a list of the results shorter.
Nowadays, on account of the widespread use of the Internet, while a lot of information has been available from the net, security on the network has become an important issue. That is to say, although search conditions (query, for instance) are uniquely set by each user and are privacy-associated matters, the search conditions have been leaked to outsiders through line tracing etc. However, the system as above can ensure the confidentiality of the search conditions, since the concealment of the query makes the user""s intention of the search blurred, and also the system enables the user to designate any of the search conditions as confidential.
In the system disclosed by Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 2976219, the user registers one""s user data such as personality, interest etc. in the host computer in advance, and on the basis of the user data, commercial information is searched for from data sent to the host computer every day by various information service agencies such as news organizations and data banks. Communications efficiency can be improved by using this system, because once the user data is registered, there is no need to input the data every time the user searches for commercial information. Also, since the search is done on the basis of the user data, the system can provide commercial information suitable for each user, and contributes to the user""s convenience.
However, in the system disclosed by Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 11-259512, even though the privacy of the user is protected on account of the concealment of the query, communications efficiency is low, because every time the user tries to search, the data necessary for the search has to be input from the user terminal. As a result, the user is forced to pay higher communications costs. This kind of problem becomes particularly noticeable in the search of books that requires large amount of data to be input.
On the other hand, in the system disclosed by Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 2976219, while communications efficiency is improved since it is not required to input the user data more than once, the privacy protection is not sufficient, due to the lack of measures against the leakage of the registered data.
In other words, in the conventional systems as described above, the user cannot be assured of both the privacy protection and the efficient provision of useful information, when information is provided.
The present invention has an objective to offer a data supply controlling device, a method of supplying data, a storage medium storing a data supply program, and a data supply system, which achieve both enhanced user privacy protection and improved communications efficiency in supplying information (search result) which is suitable to user.
A data supply controlling device in accordance with the present invention, in order to accomplish the foregoing objective, is characterized in that it includes:
a user data storage section for storing user data for each user who is to be supplied with information through a user terminal;
a query generating section for generating, based on at least the user data, a query for a data supplying device to search for the information;
a search result storage section for storing a result of a search conducted by the data supplying device for the information in accordance with the query;
an identifying data management section for managing identifying data by which each user can be identified, separately from user specifying data by which each user can be specified; and
a data supplying section for generating a search result matched with the identifying data of the user from the search result stored in the search result storage section for supply to the user terminal.
With the arrangement, the query generating section generates a query based on at least the user data stored in the user data storage section. Examples of the user data may include the age, gender, and areas of interest of the user, and books owned by the user. The data supplying device searches for information in accordance with the query, and the search result is stored in the search result storage section. Of the search result stored in the search result storage section, the data supplying section supplies only the search result matched with the identifying data of the user to the user terminal.
Since the query is generated in this manner based on user data, and the data supplying device searches for information based on the query, a search result that is suitable to each user can be presented to the user. Further, once stored in the user data storage section, the user data of each user does not need to be input repeatedly. This improves communications efficiency between the user terminal and the data supply controlling device.
In addition, in the arrangement, the identifying data management section manages (for example, registers therein) identifying data, such as the user ID and certification number of the user, by which each user can be identified, separately from user specifying data, such as the name and address of the user, by which each user can be specified. This makes it difficult to specify individual users only by the identifying data even if the identifying data managed by the identifying data management section leaks out of the device or a third party infiltrates into the system, for example.
Consequently, with the arrangement, information suitable to each user can be presented to the user, and at the same time enhanced user privacy protection and improved communications efficiency can both be achieved.
A data supply system in accordance with the present invention, in order to accomplish the objective, is characterized in that it includes:
the data supply controlling device above; a data supplying device for conducting a search for the information in accordance with a query given by the data supply controlling device to provide a search result to the data supply controlling device; and
a user terminal for receiving a search result suitable to each user from the data supply controlling device,
the data supply controlling device, the data supplying device, and the user terminal being interconnected through a communications network.
In the arrangement, the data supply controlling device, the data supplying device, and the user terminal are interconnected through a communications network. Thus, a system can be offered which provides both enhanced privacy protection and improved communications efficiency.
A data supply controlling device in accordance with the present invention, in order to accomplish the objective, is characterized in that it includes:
user data storage section for storing user data for each user who is to be supplied with information through a user terminal;
a query generating section for generating, based on at least the user data, a query to search data supplied from a data supplying device;
a search section for searching for the information in accordance with the query;
a search result storage section for storing a result of a search conducted by the search section;
an identifying data management section for managing identifying data by which each user can be identified, separately from user specifying data by which each user can be specified; and
a data supplying section for generating a search result matched with the identifying data of the user from the search result stored in the search result storage section for supply to the user terminal.
In the arrangement, the query generating section generates a query based on at least the user data stored in the user data storage section. Examples of the user data may include the age, gender, and areas of interest of the user, and books owned by the user. The search section searches the data supplied from the data supplying device for the information in accordance with the query, and the search result is stored in the search result storage section. Of the search result stored in the search result storage section, the data supplying section supplies only the search result matched with the identifying data of the user to the user terminal.
Since the query is generated in this manner based on user data, and the information is searched for based on the query, a search result that is suitable to each user can be supplied to the user. Further, once stored in the user data storage section, the user data of each user does not need to be input repeatedly. This improves communications efficiency between the user terminal and the data supply controlling device.
In addition, in the arrangement, the identifying data management section manages (for example, registers therein) identifying data, such as the user ID and certification number o the user, by which each user can be identified, separately from user specifying data, such as the name and address of the user, by which each user can be specified. This makes it difficult to specify individual users only by the identifying data even if the identifying data managed by the identifying data management section leaks out of the device or a third party infiltrates into the system, for example.
Consequently, with the arrangement, information suitable to each user can be presented to the user, and at the same time enhanced user privacy protection and improved communications efficiency can both be achieved.
A data supply system in accordance with the present invention, in order to accomplish the objective, is characterized in that it includes:
the data supply controlling device above;
a data supplying device for supplying, to the data supply controlling device, data to be searched by the data supply controlling device; and
a user terminal for receiving a search result suitable to each user from the data supply controlling device,
the data supply controlling device, the data supplying device, and the user terminal being interconnected through a communications network.
In the arrangement, the data supply controlling device, the data supplying device, and the user terminal are interconnected through a communications network. Thus, a system can be offered which provides both enhanced privacy protection and improved communications efficiency.
A method of supplying data in accordance with the present invention, in order to accomplish the objective, is characterized in that it includes the steps of:
storing, in a user data storage section, user data for each user who is to be supplied with information through a user terminal;
generating, based on at least the user data, a query for a data supplying device to search for the information;
storing, in a search result storage section, a result of a search conducted by the data supplying device for the information in accordance with the query;
registering, in an identifying data management section, identifying data by which each user can be identified, separately from user specifying data by which each user can be specified; and
generating a search result matched with the identifying data of the user from the search result stored in the search result storage section for supply to the user terminal.
With the arrangement, a query is generated based on at least the user data stored in the user data storage section. Examples of the user data may include the age, gender, and areas of interest of the user, and books owned by the user. The data supplying device searches for information in accordance with the query, and the search result is stored in the search result storage section. Of the search result stored in the search result storage section, only the search result matched with the identifying data of the user is supplied to the user terminal.
Since the query is generated in this manner based on user data, and the data supplying device searches for information based on the query, a search result that is suitable to each user can be presented to the user. Further, once stored in the user data storage section, the user data of each user does not need to be input repeatedly. This improves communications efficiency between the user terminal and the data supply controlling device implementing the foregoing process.
In addition, in the arrangement, the identifying data management section registers therein identifying data, such as the user ID and certification number of the user, by which each user can be identified, separately from user specifying data, such as the name and address of the user, by which each user can be specified. This makes it difficult to specify individual users only by the identifying data even if the identifying data registered in the identifying data management section leaks out of the device, or a third party infiltrates into the system, for example.
Consequently, with the arrangement, information suitable to each user can be presented to the user, and at the same time enhanced user privacy protection and improved communications efficiency can both be achieved.
A method of supplying data in accordance with the present invention, in order to accomplish the objective, is characterized in that it includes the steps of:
storing, in a user data storage section, user data for each user who is to be supplied with information through a user terminal;
generating, based on at least the user data, a query to search data supplied from a data supplying device;
searching for information in accordance with the query;
storing a search result in a search result storage section;
registering, in an identifying data management section, identifying data by which each user can be identified, separately from user specifying data by which each user can be specified; and
generating a search result matched with the identifying data of the user from the search result stored in the search result storage section for supply to the user terminal.
With the arrangement, a query is generated based on at least the user data stored in the user data storage section. Examples of the user data may include the age, gender, and areas of interest of the user, and books owned by the user. The data supplied from the data supplying device is searched for the information in accordance with the query, and the search result is stored in the search result storage section. Of the search result stored in the search result storage section, only the search result matched with the identifying data of the user is supplied to the user terminal.
Since a query is generated in this manner based on user data, and information is searched for based on the query, a search result that is suitable to each user can be presented to the user. Further, once stored in the user data storage section, the user data of each user does not need to be input repeatedly. This improves communications efficiency between the user terminal and the data supply controlling device implementing the foregoing process.
In addition, in the arrangement, the identifying data management section registers therein identifying data, such as the user ID and certification number of the user, by which each user can be identified, separately from user specifying data, such as the name and address of the user, by which each user can be specified. This makes it difficult to specify individual users only by the identifying data even if the identifying data registered in the identifying data management section leaks out of the device, or a third party infiltrates into the system, for example.
Consequently, with the arrangement, information suitable to each user can be presented to the user, and at the same time enhanced user privacy protection and improved communications efficiency can both be achieved.
A storage medium for storing a program implementing a data supply process in accordance with the present invention, in order to accomplish the objective, is characterized in that it stores a program executed by a computer to implement a process by means of the foregoing method of supplying data.
In the arrangement, the process by means of the method of supplying data can be implemented by a computer (for example, a data supply controlling device) executing the program.
For a fuller understanding of the nature and advantages of the invention, reference should be made to the ensuing detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.